Inertial hydrodynamic pump and wave engine

Abstract

A buoyant hydrodynamic pump is disclosed that can float on a surface of a body of water over which waves tend to pass. The pump incorporates an open-bottomed tube with a constriction. The tube partially encloses a substantial volume of water with which the tube's constriction interacts, creating and/or amplifying oscillations therein in response to wave action. Wave-driven oscillations result in periodic upward ejections of portions of the water inside the tube that can be collected in a reservoir that is at least partially positioned above the mean water level of the body of water, or pressurized by compressed air or gas, or both. Water within such a reservoir may return to the body of water via a turbine, thereby generating electrical power (making the device a wave engine), or else the device's pumping action can be used for other purposes such as water circulation, propulsion, or cloud seeding.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A wave-actuated water pump, comprising:
 a buoyant hull adapted to float adjacent to an upper surface of a body of water;   a water reservoir and a gas reservoir in fluid communication with the water reservoir   a water-lifting tube in fluid communication, via a first water-lifting tube aperture, with the water reservoir, and, in fluid communication, via a second water-lifting tube aperture, with the body of water, a cross-sectional area of a portion of the water-lifting tube near the first water-lifting tube aperture being less than a cross-sectional area of a portion of the water-lifting tube near the second water-lifting tube aperture;   wherein the water-lifting tube is adapted to move water from the body of water into the water reservoir in response to a wave motion at the upper surface of the body of water.   
     
     
         2 . The wave-actuated water pump of  claim 1 , further comprising an effluent tube through which water flows out of the water reservoir. 
     
     
         3 . The wave-actuated water pump of  claim 2 , further comprising a water turbine fluidly connected to the effluent tube such that a flow of water through the effluent tube causes the water turbine to rotate. 
     
     
         4 . The wave-actuated water pump of  claim 3 , further comprising an electrical generator coupled to the water turbine such that a rotation of the water turbine causes the electrical generator to produce an electrical voltage. 
     
     
         5 . The wave-actuated water pump of  claim 2 , wherein the effluent tube discharges water into the body of water. 
     
     
         6 . The wave-actuated water pump of  claim 2 , wherein the effluent tube discharges water into the water-lifting tube. 
     
     
         7 . The wave-actuated water pump of  claim 1 , wherein the gas reservoir is pressurized to a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure. 
     
     
         8 . The wave-actuated water pump of  claim 1 , wherein the gas is air. 
     
     
         9 . The wave-actuated water pump of  claim 1 , wherein the gas includes at least one of nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide.